Monday, July 27, 2009

So I think I'm the luckiest swing on the face of the planet. I've only been here 8 short weeks and I've been on 9 times, for 2 different roles! Playing Martha yesterday was unbelievable. Don't get me wrong, Thea's my girl, but being able to put my own spin on Martha's dark storyline was so thrilling for me as an actress. Once the lights dimmed, the haunting music started, and Steffi came out with my microphone for Dark, I started to cry. I really felt Martha in every ounce of my body, and I think that definitely helped my performance. Singing with Steffi was ridiculous. Our voices both have some rasp, so I think they blended really well. By the way, my bruise didn't come off until this morning, no matter how hard I scrubbed! I don't have any Martha pics from yesterday since I was thoroughly freaking out, but here's some from my last time on as Thea! Enjoy! :)

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, things have been really crazy around here! This week has been SUPER crazy because I've been in Wendla rehearsals all week, which is SO much fun but also a lot of work. We also went to see Harry Potter 6 at midnight, which was so much fun! AND we're all preparing for our new cast mates to join us next week, so that adds a level of crazy to our schedules! I have a 4 hour Wendla run-through understudy rehearsal tomorrow, so I'm trying to take it easy today and just relax :) Also, a bunch of my theater friends are coming to see the show on Sunday - which is when I'm playing Thea!! I'm so excited :) Overall, things have been really great, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

First let me start off with how lucky I am to be in this show. Going on for the first time in Philly was one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences I've ever had. I didn't really want to show it, but I was freaking out. I got the call Friday around 6 pm saying that I would be going on for Thea both shows the next day, and I immediately called my parents. My mom started to cry, of course. Since Philly is legitimately only an hour away from home, they were able to see me do the matinee. Mama Reprise was probably my favorite part of the show. Being a swing, I never get to sing it which is VERY unfortunate because it's my favorite song in the show, besides Those You've Known. Finally being able to unleash all of that energy was so cathartic, and unbelievably amazing. I also got to do Thea with two different Melchiors, Jake in the afternoon and Kyle at night, which was an experience in itself. I don't think I've ever had more fun on stage, and I still can't believe I got to go on after only 4 weeks of being here! I know I'll never forget my first time :)

Although it was a happy weekend personally, we had to say goodbye to two amazing members of the family, Kyle & Julie D. It was heart wrenching to see everyone so upset. They are both amazing and talented people, and so genuinely nice. It was hard to see them go. We were all ridiculous messes in Left Behind, and tried to harness that energy in to kicking ass for Fucked, and for the most part we did. But, as soon as we all thought the crying was over, Henry and Angie slowly and loudly said "Melchior Gabor, FOR THE LAST TIME....DID YOU WRITE THIS?!". And Kyle responded with the loudest yes I've ever heard. And then we all started crying and going crazy. I've never swung on those bars harder than I did Sunday night. It was one of the most memorable performances I've had so far on tour.

We've been on vacation for the week, and it's been great. When you're on tour, you see the same people every second of every day, and it's nice to come home and remind yourself of the people you left behind. I saw Hair with Anthony on Tuesday night and it was RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING. I reccommend it for everyone! I also got to visit my friends at the Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Musical Theater Conservatory, which I've attended for the past 6 years. I've recieved almost all of my training from the teachers at Paper Mill, and it broke my heart to go back there and see what I'm missing this summer. But, listening to my peers and directors ask me about tour and saying how lucky I am really reassured me of how truly blessed I am to be touring in this show.